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A Week On The Wrist: The IWC Ingenieur Chronograph Racer

The Ingenieur has symbolized many facets of IWC’s history since its first appearance in 1955. Novel materials, high magnetic resistance, and visual distinctions from legendary designer Gérald Genta, to name just a few. When a new generation of Ingenieur was announced last year, IWC was tasked with retaining strong ties to historical context while setting a new tone and expanded direction for the line. We’ve highlighted some of our favorites of the new collection, such as the 40mm Automatic right here. To find out just what these new Ingenieur watches are all about, we opted to take the robust Chronograph Racer for a spin.

Introduction

Let’s take a closer look at how the Ingenieur earned its spot in IWC history. Conceived in an effort to combat increasingly substantial magnetic fields often encountered by Engineers and the like, the Ingenieur featured a soft iron inner-case and dial that served to neutralize the adverse effects of magnetism. In addition to this unique focus was a new winding system fitted to the watch’s caliber 852 and 8521 developed by Albert Pellaton. Rather than using a rotor, Pellaton’s system featured an eccentrically shaped cam and rocking bar to capture energy more efficiently. You may recognize that last name, as the Pellaton winding system is still in use within parts of IWC's collection today.

Aside from the Ingenieur’s ability to shield itself from magnetic fields, the watch gained its most distinguished design in 1976 with the introduction of the reference 1832. The ref 1832, or Ingenieur SL (also referred to as Jumbo Ingenieur), was designed by Gérald Genta and manages to pick up his signature style by way of its cushion case and iconic recesses in the bezel. Genta is responsible for the design of a few other watches from this period that you might recognize.

Ref 1832 from 1976

Poor timing in its release meant that the Ingenieur SL, fitted with the automatic caliber 8541ES, sold fewer than 600 units between 1976 and 1984. There were also SLs fitted with quartz movements, but they didn’t fair much better, selling fewer than 750 units during the same span. The Ingenieur SL did receive another automatic movement in the late 80s, providing a test for early versions of the Da Vinci perpetual module atop modified ETA 2892-A/2 calibers.

Through the 90s and early 2000s the Ingenieur hosted predominantly quartz movements, with the notable exceptions of the troubled 500,000 A/m and its replacement, the Ingenieur Chronometer. The latter using Jaeger-LeCoultre sourced caliber 889 and 889/2s. It wasn’t until 2005 that IWC returned an in-house movement to the Ingenieur in the ref 3227. That watch received the 80110 caliber complete with Pellaton winding system to bring the whole thing full circle. The ref 3227 also introduced IWC’s partnership with Mercedes-AMG, a move emphasized in 2 titanium models.

That partnership is what brings us to today’s watch, the Ingenieur Chronograph Racer, or ref 3785, which boasts the brand’s connection to the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team. What does that mean for the Inge? Let’s find out.

The Ingenieur Chronograph Racer

The new Ingenieur brings familiar looking details to a clean new design. Its lineage is clear from the – this watch is all Ingenieur. This is a sports watch that has no qualms about making its presence known to your wrist, or anyone that happens to notice it. At 45mm wide and 14.5mm tall, this Ingenieur might be easy to dismiss as brash and overbearing, which it undoubtedly will be for some. However, its execution makes it a watch more accessible than you’d imagine.

The inspiration for the Chronograph Racer is clear at a glance. As the name suggests, racing details are everywhere on this watch. The tachymeter typeface, the red detailing on timing elements, and the engraved F1 car on the case back are all not-so-subtle details aimed squarely at the sports enthusiasts, as well as fans of the drivers themselves. Of course, the watch has many redeeming qualities regardless of your feelings on F1 (don't miss our "Field Notes" from an F1 race). At its heart, this Ingenieur is a serious sports chronograph with pedigree that would have no problem fitting in with a crowd of Royal Oak Offshores, Chrono Hawks, and Daytonas.

Proponents of symmetrical chronograph designs will find a lot to love with the Chronograph Racer. Its dual registers are stacked at 12 and 6 o’clock with the date falling neatly inside the running seconds sub-dial. Simple branding elements offset one another 3 and 9 o’clock inside the circular textured slate dial. Thick hour and minute hands dominate the dial landscape, each with cutaways and generous amounts of lume. They track time against large applied hour indices with deep grooves filled with more lume. The only numbers on the dial are of second and minute demarcation, along the chapter ring and inside each sub-dial. A clear sign of purpose (along with the tachy scale) that this watch will time laps, pit stops, and penalties with ease.

The chronograph functions of this watch really shine, appropriately enough. The totalizer at 12 o’clock contains both hour and minute readings, read the same as any clock. The red-tipped timing seconds hand will flyback on order. Perhaps best of all are the large, steel start/stop and reset buttons inset along the right-hand side of the case. Their construction and finishing make using them a dramatic affair (as dramatic as using your chronograph can get, at least). Actuation is crisp though firm and using the flyback causes little fuss. The execution of the chronograph complication as a whole lends to the strong presence and personality of the watch, urging its use rather than sitting content with its own novelty.

The case back is a simple affair with the F1 car engraving taking center stage. The car is a 2013 model, the W04 as it was known. None of the awkwardness of the W05 2014 model in sight, thankfully. The engraving itself feels a little generic, to be honest. It looks like a standard image of any F1 car was used as a template. Perhaps a more interesting angle or detail of the car would have made a stronger impact here, otherwise an exhibition case back probably would have been the right route. I just can’t see F1 fanatics gushing over this case back.

On The Wrist

While this Ingenieur is offered with a rubber/leather strap, the model I spent time with sat on a steel bracelet with large, overlapping links. The bracelet’s heft plays well with the watch as a whole, and it wears comfortably enough, however the rubber strap might help offset some of the weight being carried around. The easy-to-use clasp features a press that allows for fine-tuning, which goes a long way on a watch like this.

The shape of the case along with the bracelet integration makes the watch wear seamlessly. It doesn’t spill over the wrist awkwardly or feel uncomfortable with its girth. While bigger than any watch I would normally wear, the Chronograph Racer fit my 6.75" wrist without issue. If you’re accustomed to larger watches and the weight doesn’t bother you, you’ll be perfectly happy here.

Inside the watch ticks the caliber 89361, an in-house job that features a few amenities that I ended up really appreciating by the end of the week. Its 68-hour power reserve make winding less of a chore if you go a few days without wearing it, while the quick set date and hacking seconds make setting a breeze. Over my time with the watch I experienced around +4 seconds a day. All details you’d expect in a movement at this price range.

The caliber 89361 is becoming a mainstay of IWC's current chronograph lineup. You'll find it in the Portuguese Chronograph Classic (which I reviewed right here) and the Pilot's Watch Edition Antoine de Saint Exupéry, for example. It's IWC's latest in-house chronograph movement and is immediately recognizable by the nested hour/minutes counter at 12 o'clock. While there's no getting around that this movement results in much higher prices than you'd find with a modular or ebauche chronograph, it is a true in-house caliber that takes advantage of IWC's technical prowess.

Reading the time is done easily enough, though without the hours labeled some work will be required. The hands and hour indices are large and easily visible from a distance. The date and minute/hour totalizer on the other hand will take more attention. The tachy scale moved out to the bezel surface helps keep a clutter free dial space. If you can handle the heft of this watch, there isn’t much to complain about.

Competition

Pricing for the Ingenieur Chronograph Racer starts at $13,100 for the rubber/leather strap and jumps to $14,300 if you want the bracelet. This makes it about $10,000 cheaper than a new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore chronograph, and places it squarely inline with the likes of Girard-Perregaux’s Chrono Hawk, Rolex’s Daytona in steel, and Omega’s Speedmaster Dark Side Of the Moon.

The Girard-Perregaux Chrono Hawk is a watch I’ve spent time with and stacks up quite nicely against the new Inge here. It offers an in-house movement (albeit with a module), offers a beautifully detailed and symmetrical dial and is now offered on a steel bracelet. You lose much of the sporting details enjoyed on the Ingenieur, but if you’re looking for a good all-rounder the Chrono Hawk has a lot to offer for the same price.

The Omega Speedmaster, both in Dark Side Of the Moon form and ’57 Co-Axial form, offers a compelling case. They also sport in-house column wheel automatic movements and symmetrical dials, plus you get a whole lot of heritage with the name. They are also sized a little more appropriately for some wearers. Again, you’re trading some of the aggressive sporting personality here, but the ’57 Co-Axial can be had for under $10,000 while the ‘Dark Side Of the Moon’ comes in at $12,000.

Conclusions

The new Ingenieur offers loads of personality and the Chronograph Racer embodies IWC’s attempt to connect with a wider audience by way of its F1 partnership. While I’d argue that this watch misses the mark on leveraging that F1 connection, I do think it has wide appeal as a bold, interesting sports chronograph that watch lovers and racing fans alike will enjoy. The Ingenieur carries with it a rich history of innovation in engineering and design, and the Chronograph Racer embraces that while pushing the envelope a little further. Whether that’s a good thing or not, will be up to you.

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Friday March 3, 2012

HODINKEE is one of the most widely read wristwatch publications in the world. Launched in 2008 by then 25-year-old Benjamin Clymer, the site quickly gained notoriety for earnest looks at some of the industry’s most interesting, and occasionally forgotten timepieces.